Thomas R. Paradise is an American geomorphologist and professor of geosciences at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Arkansas.[1][2]
He is known for his work on the Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan, which he has studied since the late 1980s,[1] and has published work on the deterioration of architectural stone.[3] He was the lead researcher and presenter on Petra: Lost City of Stone, broadcast by PBS in 2015.[4][5]
Paradise grew up in North Beach and Telegraph Hill, San Francisco. He obtained his BS in geosciences and mining in 1979 from the Mackay School of Mines of the University of Nevada. After graduation, he spent 1980 with the Gemological Institute of America, and in 1983 he worked with the Gemological Institute in London.[2]
In 1990 he completed his MS in physical geography and cartography at Georgia State University, and in 1993 he obtained his PhD in geomorphology and cultural heritage management from Arizona State University.[2]
Beginning in 1993 Paradise served as a professor in environmental studies and geography at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He has been a professor of geosciences at the University of Arkansas since 2000.[2]